Introduction
"They say that an armed society is a polite society, and China is a very polite society."
~Lord Captain Walter Blackthorne, "On the Peoples of the Orient"
Equipment Bonuses: Most equipment offers bonuses to certain skills under certain conditions; a sword offers +1 bonus to Offense and +2 to Damage. These bonuses are always added to successes on the roll, not to number of coins rolled.
This is primarily to cut down on amount of rolling and speed up gameplay. When attacking with a sword, a character would roll Melee; if they got four successes, the value of that attack would be 5 to hit and 6 damage if the attack lands.
Permanent Equipment: At the start of the game, characters have eight points of Resources to spend on equipment.
Unless otherwise noted, most items cost one point of Resources each. Some advanced pieces of equipment may cost more, and some abilities may reduce to cost of certain types of equipment. This represents a character's standard gear that they take with them on adventures - their favored weapons, their loyal mounts, and so on.
Temporary Equipment: During the course of a game, characters may find or create new pieces of gear. These items are considered "temporary equipment", and are only functional for the duration of that session. After that, vehicles break down, guns run out of ammunition, swords chip and break, and so on. In order to retain a piece of found equipment, it must be added to the player's permanent equipment inventory by replacing an existing piece.
Making Equipment: When playing a technologically inclined character, much of their equipment is going to be personally made rather than purchased. With a few exceptions, all items below have a minimum skill and rank necessary to create them; for example, to make a suit of heavy armor requires Craftsmanship Rank 3.
The primary advantage of making your own gear is that it's substantially cheaper than buying it. When making a character, any of your starting equipment that you have the necessary skill to create costs half the normal number of Resource points.
Creation is governed by four skills, detailed below:
Craftsmanship: The manufacture of weapons, armor, and other simple items. Primarily refers to metalworking, but also includes leatherworking, sewing, carpentry, and general handiness. Used for creating melee weapons, armor, and many simple tools.
Engineering: The manufacture of complex machinery with moving parts. Used for making ranged weapons, vehicles, and advanced tools.
Alchemistry: The manufacture of chemical compounds – explosives, incendiaries, adhesives, and so on. Used for making explosives, ammunition, and certain advanced tools.
Medicine: The manufacture of pharmaceutical. Used for making drugs and poisons.
Buying Equipment in Game: In order to buy a piece of desired equipment, one must first find someone selling it; one cannot usually just nip down to the local Power Armor Store. Roll a Streetwise check; if your results equal or exceed the difficulty of the item (ie, four successes for a suit of power armor), they know of a local seller for what they need. If they don't, they may be able to sell or trade their current equipment.
The buy equipment, one must have a number of spare Resource points available to meet the cost. If they do not, they'll have to sacrifice some of their own equipment to make up the difference (“I'll trade you this sword for that horse”). Haggling: If you wish to negotiate for the sale price of of a piece of equipment, roll a Persuasion check. If you get more successes than the difficulty of the item, you pay the normal price. If you fail, the vendor will jack up the price, and charge you double. If you get a critical success, you barter down the price, and only pay half.
At the narrator's discretion, some seller's may request a favor in lieu of payment, leading it's own adventure. An unscrupulous pharmacist might give the heroes a stash of deadly poison for free, on the condition that they use some of it on one of his rivals.
Making Equipment in Game: One of the best parts of playing a technological character is being able to make new gadgets over the course of the game. By default, most items take one day to construct. Items that cost multiple resource points (such as an automatic rifle or a collapsing sword) take a number of days equal to their Resource point cost to construct. Certain very large or complex items (say, building an airship) may require substantially longer periods of time, at the Narrator's discretion.
The difficulty of creating a piece of equipment is twice it's Difficulty rank; thus, to make an automatic rifle (rank 3) would require six successes on an engineering check. If you fail, you can always try again the next day. Equipment made in game does not require resource points; training in a skill also represents having the necessary tools and materials to make what you need.
Sidebar: Limiting Equipment Binges
You may have players who seek to accumulate a majority share of the material universe, making piles upon piles of guns, bombs, and tools in the down-time between adventures. As an optional limit, you may limit your players to a number of creation checks per session equal to their Resources total.
Sidebar: Resources and Wealth As you may have noticed, Resource costs herein don't exactly scale to real-world values of an object; a horse costs substantially more than a sword, but both are listed as costing one point of Resources.
Resource exists primarily as a balance factor for equipment rather than as a representation of in-game wealth. Indeed, you may be playing as a wealthy
Section One: Boxing Styles
Though not technically weapons, systems of unarmed combat (hereto referred to as Boxing Styles) are mechanically similar to weapons, and thus are listed in this chapter. Learning a Boxing Style costs one point of Resources, and a character can learn as many styles as they can afford. If a character learns multiple styles, they cannot mix and match the benefits, but must instead switch between styles each round (usually accompanied by a flourish of stylish movements). Thus, a character trained in Taijiquan and Shaolin Fist could not use their Shaolin to attack and Taiji to defend in the same round.
The term “Boxing” is an English translation of the Chinese Quanfa, literally “fist method.” While the name suggests a system of punching, the term refers to any system of unarmed combat; Chinese boxing styles famously incorporate kicks, strikes with the knees and elbows, joint locks, grappling maneuvers, and so on.
When creating a Boxing style, there are three attributes: Offense, Defense, Damage. A style has three points to put into those attributes, with no more than 3 and no less than 0. Lastly, all Boxing styles fall into one of three Types.
Offense Rating: This is the level of offensive accuracy of a style, and this number of Successes is added to your Attack rolls when attacking with Hand to Hand. Wing Chun, with it's rapid fire punches, is an example of a high attack style.
Defense Rating: This is the level of parrying and defensive ability of a style, and this number of successes is added to your Parry rolls when defending with Hand to Hand. Taijiquan, with it's famous ability to redirect a foe's energy, is an example of a high defense style.
Damage Rating: This is the destructive power of the style, and this number of successes is added to your Damage rolls when you land an attack with Hand to Hand. Pigua Quan, with it's sweeping overhand strikes, is an example of a high damage style.
Type: In addition to their core attributes, boxing styles are categorized into three types, each of which has advantage over one and disadvantage under another. They are:
Finesse: Finesse styles rely on quick and complex movements, attacking with swarms of punches or complex trapping maneuvers. Finesse styles are have Advantage on Control styles, which they easily overwhelm, but Disadvantage on Power styles, who withstand their barrages to deliver a decisive blow. Examples include Snake Fist, Wing Chun, and Escrima.
Power: Power styles are about taking small hits to deliver big hits. Power styles have advantage over Finesse styles, who walk straight into their power shots, but have Disadvantage against Control styles, who turn their own energies against them. Examples include Shaolin Fist, Bajiquan, and Muay Thai.
Control: Control styles are about evasion, grappling, and counter-attacking. Control styles have advantage on Power Styles, who open themselves up to big counter attacks, but have Disadvantage against Finesse styles, who leave few openings. Examples include Taijiquan, Qin Na, and Jujutsu.
Untrained Boxing: A character can still make Hand to Hand attacks if they don't know any Boxing Styles; in which case, they get no bonuses to Offense, Defense, or Damage, and are considered to be at Disadvantage against any Type of boxing.
Cost: All boxing styles cost one point of Resources to learn.
Sidebar: Advantage and Disadvantage
In S3, tight probability curves mean that ties happen a lot. This is by intention – close rolls create tension. When a fighter has Advantage, he automatically wins on ties.
The triangle of Finesse, Power, and Control is a tiebreaker method – it gives characters a slight advantage for properly exploiting their enemy's weakness. if a Finesse gets five successes on his attack and a Control fighter gets five successes on his parry, the Finesse fighter wins. If he had attacked a Power fighter, the Power fighter would have one.
Table 1: Common Boxing Styles
|
Style |
Offense |
Defense |
Damage |
Type |
|
Shaolin Fist |
1 |
1 |
1 |
Power |
|
Long Fist |
1 |
0 |
2 |
Power |
|
Bajiquan |
0 |
2 |
1 |
Power |
|
Praying Mantis |
1 |
2 |
0 |
Finesse |
|
Wing Chun |
2 |
0 |
1 |
Finesse |
|
Snake Style |
3 |
0 |
0 |
Finesse |
|
Drunken Boxing |
1 |
2 |
0 |
Finesse |
|
Taijiquan |
0 |
3 |
0 |
Control |
|
Qin Na |
2 |
1 |
0 |
Control |
|
Shuai Jiao |
0 |
1 |
2 |
Control |
The above table is only a list of examples, and is by no means binding. If a character wants to practice a certain style of martial arts, but has a different mechanical needs, then they are free to modify them. Perhaps you study the more aggressive Chen style of Taijiquan instead of the softer Yang style, and invest more of your points in Offense and Damage and fewer in Defense. Likewise, they may change out the Type based on personal preference. For example, in Western boxing, Finesse fighters are called “Swarmers”, power fighters are called “Sluggers,” and Control fighters are called “Outboxers.”
Sidebar: Names Translating names of Chinese Quanfa styles into English is a bit of a mess. Some are best known by their Chinese name even in English, such as Bajiquan. Others, are better known by English translations, such as Drunken Boxing. Still others are better known by their Cantonese name, such as Wing Chun.
Erring on the side of clarity over uniformity, we've decided to simply put whichever name is most well-known in English speaking countries.
Popular Style descriptions:
Shaolin Fist: The legendary fighting style of the Shaolin Temple is composed of vigorous physical conditioning routines that perfectly balance offense, defense, and power.
Bajiquan: Bajiquan (“Eight Extremities Fist”) is a tough Northern martial art tradition known for it's hard-hitting punches and elbows and solid defensive structures.
Long Fist: The quintessential Northern Style, Changquan emphasizes long stances and acrobatic kicking maneuvers.
Wing Chun: a popular Southern boxing style, Wing Chun (“Singing Springtime”) relies on hand trapping and rapid fire punches.
Drunken Boxing: Drunken Boxing, or zuiquan, is a flamboyant style that mimics the movements of a staggering drunk, sometimes while also actually being one.
Praying Mantis: Praying Mantis boxing, or tanglangquan, mimics the movements of a praying mantis. It is known for it's hand trapping and joint locking techniques.
Snake Fist: Another popular animal style, Hequan emphasizes precise striking of pressure points with the tips of the fingers.
Taijiquan: Known to westerners as Tai Chi, Taijiquan (“Grand Ultimate Fist”) is based around esoteric Daoist principles to harmonize with their opponent's energy. It is the quintessential defensive martial art.
Qin Na: The art of Qin Na, “locking and siezing,” refers to the practice of joint-manipulation based grappling maneuvers.
Shuai Jiao: Shuai Jiao is Chinese folk wrestling; similar to Judo and Mongolian wrestling, Shuai Jiao emphasizes hip throws, foot sweeps, and pickups that can crush a man as easily as any punch or kick.
Hand to Hand Weaponry
While “Unarmed Weaponry” is a bit of a contradiction, there are certain weapons intended to be used specifically with the methods of unarmed combat.
Hand to Hand Weapons
|
Weapon |
Effect |
Cost |
Difficulty |
|
Gloves and Boots |
None |
0 |
--- |
|
Hand Razors and Boot Knives |
Lethal Damage |
1 |
Craftsmanship 2 |
|
Poison Needles |
Accelerates Poison Damage |
1 |
Medicine 2 |
Gloves and Boots: Gloves and boots by themselves do nothing to change a character's hand to hand fighting abilities; however, they may be upgraded with technological augmentations (electricity, fire, etc.) as listed in the Augmentations table under melee weaponry.
Hand Razors and Boot Knives: There are wide variety of weapons that convert a person's punches and kicks into lethal stabs and cuts – claws, boot knives, and so on – when outfitted with such weapons, a character still uses their unarmed combat statistics, but the damage is Lethal instead of Nonlethal.
Poison Needles: Stabbing someone with a loaded syringe allows the user to deliver poison poison more quickly. Poisons delivered via a syringe take effect immediately, instead of at the end of the target's next action.
Mandarin who, not being an equipment heavy character, has very low Resources. Conversely, a mercenary gunslinger may be fully kitted out with guns, bombs, and body armor, but have very little money to his name.
Section Two: Melee Weaponry
Melee Weaponry is at the heart of Wuxia. Even in the steampunk era of S3, swords and chains are still just as popular of weapons as guns and bombs.
Creating a Melee weapon is much the same as creating a Boxing Style. Melee weapons have a Type and three attributes: Offense, Defense, Damage. A weapon has a number of points to spend on attributes based on its size: a two-handed weapon has five points; a one-handed weapon has four points; a concealable weapon has three points. Though rare, two-handed concealable weapons (such as rope darts) have four points.
Offense: This is the level of offensive accuracy of the weapon, and this number of successes is added to your attack rolls. Hook swords, with their many blades and trapping abilities, are an example of a high offense weapon. The maximum offense of a Melee weapon is 3.
Defense: This is the level of parrying and defensive accuracy of the weapon, and this number of successes is added to your Parry rolls. Tonfa, which can act as a shield as well as a club, are an example of a high defense weapon. The maximum defense of a Melee weapon is 3.
Damage: This is the destructive power of the weapon, and this number of successes is added to your damage rolls. Hatchets, with their ability to leave vicious bloody wounds, are an example of a high damage weapon. The maximum Damage of a one-handed melee is 3; two-handed melee weapons have a maximum damage of 4.
Type: Like with Boxing Styles, weapons are broken into three types: Finesse, Power, and Control. Finesse: Finesse weapons rely on speed, reach, and precise striking. They easily slide through the defenses of Control weapons, but struggle with parrying the heavy blows of Power weapons. Daggers, spears, and swords are examples of Finesse weapons.
Power: Power weapons tend to be slower moving, but delivering heavy and crushing blows. They overpower the defenses of Finesse weapons, but leave themselves open for the sneaky maneuvers of Control weapons. Maces, axes, and sabers are examples of Power weapons.
Control: Control weapons tend to be more exotic, with hooks and spikes to catch and bind their opponent's weapon. They can easily control slow-moving power weapons, but have difficulty catching the faster-moving Finesse weapons. Hook swords, sai, and halberds are examples of control weapons.
Concealment: This measures whether or not the weapon can be easily concealed in your clothing without being seen. Generally speaking, weapons that are no larger than your forearm are considered concealable.
Cost: A Melee weapon costs One point of Resources.
Creation: Melee weapons are created via the Craftsmanship skill. A character cannot create a weapon with any Rating higher than his Craftsmanship rank (thus, to create a sword that had a Damage rating of 3, he would need at least Craftsmanship Rank 3).
Improvised Weapons: When wielding an object as an improvised (such as chair or table), the wielder has no bonus to Offense, Defense, or Damage, and is always at Disadvantage.
Off-hand Weapon Positions: Given that most people have two hands, this allows for a variety of configurations – a sword in each hand, a a sword and a shield, and so on. The rules for various configurations are explained below.
Paired Weapons: Wielding a second weapon identical to the first allows for more angles of attack, granting a +1 bonus to Offense. Certain mis-matched weapons that have martial arts based around being used together (such as the Japanese Katana and Wakizashi, or the Tomahawk and Dagger styles of North America) can also be counted as Paired weapons. Obviously, to use a pair of weapons, a second weapon must be purchased.
Shields: Shields are not terribly popular in China, but collapsing bucklers have started showing up in the urban jianghu. Shields grant a +1 bonus to Defense. Certain parrying objects – such as daggers, cloaks, and scabbards – can be considered as Shields. Like weapons, shields cost a point of Resources.
Two Handed Weapons: Wielding a weapon with both hands lends extra force to its blows. A two-handed weapon typically has a higher damage rating (as noted above), but should the wielder lose use of one of his hands, it's considered an Improvised Weapon and loses all of its bonuses.
Off-hand Empty: Leaving one's off-hand free does not confer any statistical bonuses, but it does enable one to execute unarmed grappling maneuvers with that hand (Pinning, Disarming, Strangling, and so on).
Table of Common Melee Weapons
|
Name |
Offense |
Damage |
Defense |
Type |
|
Blades |
|
|
|
|
|
Dagger |
1 |
2 |
0 |
Concealable |
|
Cleaver |
2 |
1 |
0 |
Concealable |
|
Deerhorn Knives |
1 |
0 |
2 |
Concealable Control |
|
Straightsword |
1 |
2 |
1 |
Finesse |
|
Saber |
2 |
2 |
0 |
Power |
|
Hook Swords |
2 |
0 |
2 |
Control |
|
Longsword |
1 |
3 |
1 |
Two-handed Finesse |
|
Heavy Saber |
2 |
3 |
0 |
Two-handed Power |
|
Polearms |
|
|
|
|
|
Spear |
1 |
2 |
2 |
Two-handed Finesse |
|
Glaive |
1 |
3 |
1 |
Two-handed Power |
|
Wolf-Tooth Mace |
0 |
4 |
1 |
Two-handed |
|
Halberd |
2 |
2 |
1 |
Two-handed Control |
|
Irregular Weapons |
|
|
|
|
|
Nunchaku |
3 |
0 |
0 |
Concealable Finesse |
|
Tonfa |
0 |
0 |
3 |
Concealable Control |
|
Sai |
1 |
0 |
2 |
Concealable Control |
|
Kama |
2 |
1 |
0 |
Concealable Control |
|
Hatchet |
0 |
3 |
0 |
Concealable Power |
|
Truncheons |
|
|
|
|
|
Fighting Stick |
2 |
1 |
1 |
Finesse |
|
Hammer |
1 |
3 |
0 |
Finesse |
|
Bar Mace |
1 |
3 |
1 |
Two-handed Power |
|
Staff |
1 |
2 |
2 |
Two-handed Finesse |
|
Three Section Staff |
2 |
1 |
2 |
Two-handed |
|
Whips and Chains |
|
|
0 |
|
|
Chain Whip |
2 |
1 |
0 |
Concealable Flexible |
|
Rope Dart |
3 |
1 |
0 |
Two-handed Flexible |
|
Meteor Hammer |
0 |
4 |
0 |
Two-handed Flexible |
|
Chain |
0 |
2 |
2 |
Two-handed Concealable Control |
Dagger: This refers to all manner of knives, daggers, and small edged weapons, ranging from kitchen tools to short swords.
Butterfly Knife: These are short machetes, often used in pairs. In the hands of an expert, they can wreak incredible damage. Cleavers would also fall under this category.
Straightsword (Jian): Considered to be an elegant and gentlemanly weapon, the straightsword is popular amongst duelists and scholars. Concealed and collapsing straightswords are common among discreet fighters, and paired straightswords that share a single sheath are also fairly common.
Saber (Dao): Also known as the broadsword or cutlass, the saber encompasses a whole family of one-handed chopping swords. There are many regional varieties of the saber, with some being almost straight and others have severe curves. Like the straightsword, it is not uncommon to have a matching pair of sabers which are carried in a single sheath.
Long Sword (Chang Jian): Two-handed straightswords slightly longer blades and substantially longer hilts than one-handed straightswords, allowing them to be used with both hands for stronger and faster cuts.
Great Saber(Da Dao): These sabers have longer handles and substantially longer or heavier blades, allowing them to strike with devastating power. Like their one-handed counterpart, great sabers come in a number of varieties, including the shorter, thicker Grass Sabers and the long-bladed Horse Cutting Sabers.
Deerhorn Knives (Lujiao Dao): Deerhorn knives consist of overlapping pairs of crescent-shaped blades, used for binding and trapping opponent's weapons. They are almost always used in pairs.
Hook Sword (Hu Tou Gou): Also known as the Tiger-Head hook, this is a weapon made popular by flashy martial artists. Consisting of a hooked blade and a multi-bladed crossguard, hook swords seem counter-intuitive, but are deadly in the hands of one who knows how to use them. These weapons are almost always used in pairs.
Spear (Qiang): Spears fell out of popularity until the rise of collapsing melee weaponry. Telescoping spears are popular both among the military and civilians.
Hatchet (Fu): Hatchets are a popular tool-turned melee weapon, particularly among street thugs and poorer gangsters.
Glaive (Pudao): More unwieldy and old-fashioned than the spears, glaives with telescoping hafts have made something of a resurgence in recent years among triads and gangsters looking to make a big impression.
Rod (Bian): Sword-length fighting rods are a common weapon. Typically constructed of heavy iron with ridged edges, they can crush as man as easily as a sword can cut him. They're particularly popular with crafty inventors, and collapsing rods, rods that break apart into chain whips, and electrified rods are all popular options.
Tonfa: Popular in the fighting arts of the Ryuku Islands, the tonfa is a side-handled baton shaped vaguely like a crutch. They offer a high degree of protection, and are popular among law enforcement.
Sai: Another weapon from the Ryukyu Islands, the sai is an iron truncheon with forks on either side to catch an opponents weapon. They typically are used in pairs, and are meant to restrain and disarm without killing.
Kama: The Japanese sickle is a popular weapon that has made it's way to China. Quick and light, they make deadly precise weapons.
Nunchaku (Shuang Jie Gun): A weapon imported from the Ryukyu island, the nunchaku has recently shown up as a popular weapon among street thugs in Chinese coast cities. Due to it's ease of concealment when out of use and flashiness when in use, it's become particularly popular among youth gangs.
Hammer (Chui): This refers to everything from warhammers to construction tools re-purposed for combat. Like axes, they are powerful but inelegant.
Staff (Gun): Like the spear, staves are most commonly seen in collapsing and telescoping varieties.
Three Section Staff (San Jie Gun): A popular weapon for it's flashiness and versatility. The three section staff can be used as a flail, a whip, or set of conjoined fighting rods. Though they lack power, they inspire a certain amount of awe in skilled hands.
Chain whip (Ju Jie Bian): Consisting of a series of iron bars conjoined by chain links, chain whips are highly concealable weapons capable of keeping many foes at bay at once. As such, they are popular hold-out weapons in the jianghu.
Rope Dart (Fei Tou): A longer and more flexible version of the chain whip, the rope dart is favored for it's extreme ease of concealment and long reach. Consisting of either a weight or small blade on the end of a long rope, the Rope Dart gives the reach of a spear while still being easily concealed.
Chain (Gusari): A popular weapon among rogues in Japan, the Gusari is a weighted chain, occasionally with a sickle on one end. They are used for binding as much as for striking, and they've become popular in China as well.
Meteor Hammer: The meteor hammer is the big brother of the Rope Dart, consisting of a chain with a large weight on one or both ends. Like the rope dart, it may be used for binding and grappling maneuvers.
Section Three: Ranged Weapons
Ranged weapons come in three broad categories – throwing weapons, one-handed pistols, and two-handed longarms. Throwing weapons tend to be small and concealable, but less damaging. Pistols are favored by outlaws, gangsters, and knight errants, given their ease of concealment. Longarms are primarily used by the military, with a good many of them ending up in criminal hands as well.
When creating a custom ranged weapon, there are four factors: Offense, Damage, Range, and Type.
Type: Ranged weapons come in a variety of types, as detailed here: Throwing: Throwing weapons include knives, shuriken, and chakrams; they are considered one-handed and concealable. They have three points to distribute between Offense, Damage, and Range. Pistols: Pistols are concealable guns that can be used in one hand. They have three points to distribute between Offense, Damage, and Range.
Longarms: Longarms, conversely require two hands and cannot be concealed. They have five points to distribute between Offense, Damage, and Range.
Mechanical: Mechanical weapons fire via springs, compressed air, or other mechanical forces. They are less powerful than ballistic weapons, but are silent, allowing the wielder to fire without giving away his position. Ballistic: Ballistic weapons, conversely, fire projectiles via chemical explosions. They are more powerful, but extremely loud and prone to produce flashes of light and plumes of smoke. Anyone attempting to hide or take cover while using a a Ballistic weapon immediately gives away their presence.
Offense: The ease of aiming and firing a weapon. Offense is added to the number of successes to hit a target. The maximum offense of a Ballistic weapon is 2, and the maximum offense of a Mechanical weapon is 3.
Damage: How powerful the weapon is. Damage is added to the number of successes to injure a target. The maximum damage of a Ballistic weapon 4, and the maximum damage of a Mechanical weapon is 3.
Range: Ranges are measured in feet, and are based on a combination of the wielders Sharpshooting total and a range multiplier.
Short: Short-ranged weapons have limited effective range and are meant for close quarters combat. They can accurately hit a target up to Sharpshooting x 5 feet. Making a weapon short-ranged costs zero points.
Long: Long range weapons are meant for striking distant targets. They have a maximum range of Sharpshooting x 25 feet. Making a long-ranged weapon costs two point.
Extreme: Extreme range include high-powered sniple rifles and rocket launchers. They have a maximum range of Sharpshooting x 100 feet. Making a weapon extreme-ranged costs three points.
Cost: Ranged weapons cost a point of Resources. This includes ammunition, and in the case of throwing weapons, as many knives or shuriken as the wielder might need.
Creation: Guns, crossbows, and mechanical ranged weapons are created via the Engineering skill; Bows and throwing weapons are created via the Craftsmanship skill. A character cannot create a weapon with any Rating higher than his Engineering/Craftsmanship rank (thus, to create a gun that had a Damage rating of 3, he would need at least Engineering Rank 3).
Sidebar: Dual Wielding Pistols
Wielding a pistol in each hand is a hallmark of a good gunslinger, and we want to encourage this. When wielding a matched pair of pistols, a character's Offense is increased by one. An extra pistol will, of course, cost an extra point of Resource.
Common Ranged Weapons
|
Weapon |
Offense |
Damage |
Range |
Type |
|
Throwing Knife |
1 |
2 |
Short |
Throwing |
|
Shuriken |
2 |
1 |
Short |
Throwing |
|
Dart Launcher |
3 |
0 |
Short |
Mechanical |
|
Light Pistol |
2 |
1 |
Short |
Ballistic |
|
Heavy Pistol |
1 |
2 |
Short |
Ballistic |
|
Hand Cannon |
0 |
3 |
Short |
Ballistic |
|
Bow |
2 |
2 |
Long |
Mechanical |
|
Crossbow |
3 |
1 |
Long |
Mechanical |
|
Carbine |
2 |
2 |
Long |
Ballistic Longarm |
|
Shotgun |
2 |
3 |
Short |
Ballistic Longarm |
|
Combat Rifle |
1 |
3 |
Long |
Ballistic Longarm |
|
Sniper Rifle |
0 |
3 |
Extreme |
Ballistic Longarm |
Throwing Knives: A classic holdout weapon, throwing knives strike a balance between damage and accuracy.
Shuriken: Imported from Japan, Shuriken are tiny, accurate throwing blades.
Dart Launchers: Dart launchers fire steel darts, often launched via pneumatics or other mechancial rather than chemical means, allowing them to be fired silently. They are frequently mounted on the wrists or hidden in the sleeves. Dart launchers are frequently loaded with with Injector Rounds, and are one of the most popular means of delivering poisons.
Light Pistol: This is a catch all for small, low-recoil pistols and revolvers. They don't pack much of a punch, but are easy to aim and fire continuously.
Heavy Pistol: Moving up the line, heavy pistols fire larger bullets and pack more of a kick.
Hand Cannon: At the top of the “Imposing Handgun” hierarchy are Hand Cannons, smoothbore pistols that are as inaccurate as they are deadly. Hand Cannons are often shotguns, firing clouds of projectiles instead of single bullets.
Bow: Though something of antiquity, the compound bow is still favored among Mongolian and Manchu Bannermen, who hold a long history of archery. Like the crossbow, contemporary compound bows can make use of a great number of specialty arrows.
Crossbow: Crossbows have been part of Chinese warfare for thousands of years, and their technology has only improved with time. Modern crossbows are often repeaters, capable of semiautomatic or even automatic fire.
Carbine: A carbine is shortened rifle developed for cavalry. It's shorter barrel lessens it's range, but makes it easier to use in a fight.
Shotgun: Increasingly popular in gang warfare and street fights, Shotguns fire clouds of projectiles from large smoothbore barrels, trading range for damage and ease of use.
Combat Rifle: A long-barreled firearm, intending for precision and accuracy at a distance. Some rifles use internal magazines to store ammunition, while others have rotating chambers that align with the barrels. Sniper Rifle: Meant for dealing lethal wounds at extreme distances, sniper rifles are usually outfitted with complex sets of lenses and scopes for sighting their targets.
Cannon: More at home on tanks than in a person's hands, this refers to the very largest and most difficult to use of personal firearms.
Section Four: Explosives
Explosives are both and art and a science. Namely, setting them off is an art and making them is a science.
When creating an Explosive, there are two main factors: Explosive Type and Delivery Method.
Type: There are a wide variety of types of explosives, detailed below. The type of explosive determines its Damage rating and any special abilities it might have; setting enemies on fire, bypassing armor, and so on.
As a general rule, bomb blasts really mess with your hearing. Unless otherwise noted, anyone damaged by an explosive attack is deafened for one round.
Delivery Method: Explosives can be set off in a number of ways – as parts of traps, thrown as grenades, launched as rockets, and so on. Delivery method is the primary determining factor for the range of an explosive attack.
Sidebar: Area Attacks
Most explosives are capable of Area Attacks, hitting multiple opponents in one bomb blast. When throwing a grenade at multiple opponents, subtract coins from your Explosives check equal to the number of targets you are hitting. Thus, attacking two targets would impose a -2 penalty, three targets a -3, and so on. This applies to both the attack and damage roll.
|
Explosive Type |
Damage |
Effects |
Creation |
|
High Explosive |
4 |
Area Attack |
Alchemistry 2 |
|
Shrapnel |
3 |
Area Wounding |
Alchemistry 2 |
|
Concussion |
4 |
Area Attack |
Alchemistry 3 |
|
Incendiary |
3 |
Area Attack Burning |
Alchemistry 3 |
|
Anti-Armor |
3 |
Area |
Alchemistry 4 |
|
Flashbang |
-- |
Area |
Alchemistry 2 |
|
Blinding Smoke |
-- |
Area |
Alchemistry 3 |
|
Burning Smoke |
3 |
Area |
Alchemistry 4 |
|
Chemical Bomb |
3 |
Area |
See “chemicals” |
|
Poison Gas Bomb |
3 |
Area Poison Effect |
See “Poisons” |
Explosive Effects:
High Explosive: These are traditional grenades, sending out a sampler's platter of heat, sharpnel, and sheer kinetic energy.
Fragmentation: These grenades are packed with shot or have brittle shells designed to fragment into shards upon detonation. They upgrade the wound severity against unarmored targets by one level, but downgrade the wound severity against armored targets by one level.
Concussion: A concussion grenade releases a potent shockwave, but no shrapnel, battering foes without killing. They deal nonlethal damage.
Flashbang: Flashbangs briefly blind and deafen groups of foes. They deal no damage, but anyone struck by one is blinded and deafened for one round, greatly limiting their capacity to act.
Incendiary: These grenades are filled with a highly flammable phosphorous gas. Anyone damaged by them is lit on fire, taking a light wound at the end of each of their rounds until extinguished. Because they deal damage through heat, instead of kinetic energy, they bypass most normal armor. Incendiary grenades don't deafen foes like normal bombs, but they do blind them for a round.
Anti-Armor: High-temperature explosives are meant to burn straight through armor. They ignore a foe's armor rating.
Blinding Smoke: These grenades are similar to smoke bombs, except that the smoke burns the eyes. Anyone effected by Blinding Smoke is blinded for one round, and will stay blinded as long as they are within the cloud. Smoke grenades generate enough vapor to fill roughly one large room. This can be make them deadly indoors, but of minimal threat in wide open spaces.
Chemical Bomb: These explosives have been filled with an aerosol acid, coolant, or another chemical substance. In addition to normal damage, the target suffers any relevant effect from the chemical compound. The damage listed is only for chemicals which are hazardous to the health; extinguisher grenades, for example, are sometimes used to rescue burning comrades in a bomb-fight.
Poison Bomb: The smoke from these explosives has been mixed with a drug or poison, administering it to all who fall within the explosives radius. For poison effects, see below.
Sidebar: Gases and Small Rooms
Smoke bombs
and Poison gases are particularly deadly when used in close quarters, where targets have nowhere to flee. When deployed in a small room (say, less than 10 by 10 feet), a gas grenade effects everyone – friend and foe – without penalty to Offense or Damage. Anyone who succesfully dodges must flee to the room to do so.
Delivery Methods
Explosives can be delivered in multiple ways – traps, thrown grenades, and so on. Various pieces of equipment have been developed for propelling explosives, listed below. Explosives have to be configured for the way they're being delivered – you can't shoot a hand grenade out of a rocket launcher.
|
Delivery Methods |
Range |
Cost |
Creation |
|
Trap |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
Wired Detonator |
-- |
1 |
Engineering 2 |
|
Thrown Grenade |
Short |
-- |
-- |
|
Grenade Launcher |
Long |
1 |
Engineering 2 |
|
Rocket Pistol |
Long |
1.5 |
Engineering 3 |
|
Rocket Launcher |
Extreme |
2 |
Engineering 4 |
Trap: Explosives are frequently set up as booby traps – landmines, tripwires, time bombs, and so on. Traps are still set via the attacker's Explosives skill, and can be detected via Awareness.
Wired Detonator: Long detonation cords lead between the explosive payload and a detonator. They allow the bomber to safely set off their explosive at their leisure. Wireless detonators are not an option, unless one of your players invents Radio in the course of the game.
Hand Grenade: The basic delivery method of grenades – throwing it. Grenades are short ranged and concealable thrown weapons.
Grenade Launcher: To add reach to grenades, sometimes a grenade launcher will be employed. The launcher itself is a non-concealable two-handed mechanical weapon, and it upgrades the range on the grenade to Long. They cost one point of Resources.
Rocket Pistol: Increasingly popular among outlaws and street gangs, the Rocket Pistol is a one-handed miniature rocket launcher for firing miniature rockets. It is considered a one-handed ballistic pistol, and upgrades the grenades range to Medium. Their small size makes them ideal for being used from vehicles or built into suits of power armor. They cost one point of Resources.
Rocket Launcher: For truly long-range explosive demolition, grenades can be fitted into rockets. Rocket launchers are a non-concealable ballistic longarm, and upgrade the grenades range to Extreme. They cost two points of resources.
Heavy Weapons
Some weapons just don't fit in with the rest. Namely, flamethrowers and weapons like flamethrowers. Flamethrowers are an explosive weapon, not so much in the sense of throwing an explosive, but in the sense of throwing an explosion. Similarly, one can create weapons that throw explosions of poison or electricity. In general, these weapons tend to be powerful, short-ranged, and expensive.
Cost: Controlled explosive weaponry is notoriously expensive. They default cost is 2; typically half of that is for the device and half for the product being delivered.
|
Weapon |
Offense |
Damage |
Range |
Type |
Creation |
|
Flame Thrower |
1 |
3 |
Short |
Explosive Longarm Fire Area |
Engineering 3 |
|
Chemical Launcher |
1 |
3 |
Short |
Explosive Longarm Chemical |
Engineering 3 |
|
Poison Sprayer |
1 |
3 |
Short |
Explosive Longarm Chemical Area |
Engineering 3 |
|
Arc Projector |
1 |
3 |
Short |
Explosive Longarm Electrical |
Engineering 4 |
|
Lightning Rifle |
0 |
4 |
Long |
Explosive Longarm Electrical |
Engineering 4 |
Flamethrower: A flamethrower fires a jet of burning gas or liquid, capable of setting a hole room ablaze. Because they deal damage based on heat rather than kinetic energy, they bypass most types of armor. Anyone struck by a flamethrower is lit on fire, and takes a light wound at the end of each their actions unless extinguished. Like grenades, flamethrowers are capable of hitting multiple opponents with an area attack. Most flamethrowers are rifle-like contraptions with fuel tanks under their barrel or strapped to the back of the user, though the “dual wrist-mounted flamethrower” is rapidly growing in popularity.
Chemical Launcher: A slight variant on Flamethrowers, Chemical Launchers spray clouds of acid or other chemical substances in lieu of incendiaries. A full list of these can be found below under “Chemicals”. They have the same basic operating parameters as flamethrowers – ignoring conventional armor, being capable of making area attacks – but substitute the fire damage aspect for that of whatever chemical they're launching. Thus, to make a freeze-gun, one would need to purchase a chemical launcher and a supply of super coolant separately.
If a character has access to multiple chemicals, the launcher can be loaded with any of them.
Poison Sprayer: Like Chemical Launchers, these weapons are designed to launch clouds of poisonous mist.
If a character has access to multiple poison gases, the sprayer can be loaded with any of them.
Arc Projector: Almost strictly the domain of mad scientists, Arc Projectors hurl bolts of lightning through the air. Like flamethrowers, they bypass most armor, and their targets lose Breath points equal to the severity of the wound inflicted. Most resemble large, stocky rifles with massive batteries and spinning dynamos, though like with flamethrowers, the “double wrist mounted” variety is growing in popularity.
Lightning Rifle: Lightning Rifles are a more refined version of Arc Projectors; instead of hurling blasts of electricity over short distances, they fire a single bolt of lightning over a great distance. As electrical weapons, they ignore conventional armor, and deal Breath damage equal to the severity of the wound inflicted.
Section 4.5: Weapon Upgrades
Sometimes, stabbing someone isn't enough; sometimes, you have to stab them on fire.
Given the prevalence of both violence and technology in China, there is no short of mad and ingenious ways that heroes have sought to combine them. Generally, high tech weapons come in two parts: the base weapon, and the augmentation. Thus, one may choose to make an electrified straightsword, or a collapsing spear, or an incendiary chain whip (all popular choices in the streets of Shanghai and Beijing).
Unless otherwise noted, each Augmentation costs one point of resources. When applying the same augmentation to a matched set of weapons (such as a pair of electrified straightswords), the cost of the augmentation only applies once; thus, said power of electrical swords would cost 2 points of Resources, not 3.
Augmentations may be added to gloves and boots and such so that their benefits might be used with Hand to Hand attacks.
Similarly, any of these may be applied to a set of Explosives.
|
Name |
Effect |
Creation Skill |
|
Paired |
+1 Parry/Dual Attacks |
Craftsmanship/Engineering |
|
Tailored |
+1 Attack |
Craftsmanship/Engineering |
|
Destructive |
+1 Damage |
Engineering/ Alchemistry |
|
Collapsible |
Gains concelment |
Craftsmanship |
|
Disguised |
Disguised as common item |
Craftsmanship |
|
Multiple Forms |
Weapon has multiple forms |
Craftsmanship |
|
Scoped |
Doubled range |
Engineering |
|
Piercing |
Ignores armor |
Alchemistry /Engineering |
|
Shocking |
Deals breath damage |
Engineering |
|
Burning |
Continuous damage |
Alchemistry |
|
Poisoning |
Accelerates poison effect |
Medicine |
Paired
This represents having a matching set of swords, pistols, or other one-handed weapons. Paired range weapons can be used to make Area Attacks on up to two targets, and paired melee weapons gain a +1 bonus on Parry rolls (this includes sword and shield or rapier and dagger combinations). When purchasing a pair of weapons, any other upgrades apply to both weapons in the pair.
Tailored
This weapon has been customized to the preference of a single user. Tailored weapons gain a +1 bonus to Attack rolls, but only when used by the person who it was tailored for.
Destructive
The weapon has been mechanically augmented designed to deal vicious wounds; a gun may fire exploding bullets, a sword may have whirling chainsaw-like blades, a grenade may be filled with shrapnel, and so on. A destructive weapon gains an extra +1 to damage.
Disguised
Similar to collapsing weapons, these items hide in plain sight by disguising themselves as everyday object. A straightsword might be hidden in a parasol, or a set of prayer beads might each secretly be tiny grenades. Only under close examination is their true nature revealed.
Collapsing
These weapons having spring-loaded telescoping shafts, or otherwise fold down into a smaller size. Any non-concealable weapon can be made concealable by adding this modification.
Multiple Forms
Multi-weapons can be configured into multiple forms or means of attacking. Examples include rods that break apart into chain whips, swords with built in pistols, and polearms with a blade at one head and a mace at the other. The wielder of a multi-weapon may change the form of their weapon whenever they make an attack. A weapon can have more than two forms, so long as the mechanics of it can be justified; an outlaw may wield a staff that breaks into a three section staff, which in turn breaks into a nine-section whip, and so on and so forth.
Each weapon has it's own separate Offense, Defense, and Damage rating, and it's own Weapon Type. Weapons can be of different types; one might build a pistol or flamethrower into their sword.
This also covers weapons that have multiple applications, such as knife that is constructed for both throwing and close-quarters combat.
The cost of a multi-weapon is the sum of all of it's component weapons; thus, a staff that can configures into three different forms costs three points of Resource.
Most collapsible weapons are multi-weapons, even if by accident; a staff that collapses down to two feet long can be used as a light truncheon while collapsed. Any other Augmentations applied to a Multi-weapon effect all forms of it; an electrified sword breaks apart into an electrified whip, and so on.
Automatic
This upgrade can only be applied to ranged weapons.
The weapon can fire at high speeds, unleashing hails of bullets, arrows, or chakrams. Automatic weapons can make Area Attacks. If using a pair of automatic weapons, (which also allows one to make Area Attacks), the penalty for making one is reduced by one coin.
Scoped
This upgrade can only be applied to ranged weapons.
This weapon has been outfitted with an array of binocular lenses that allow the user to zoom in on far away targets. So long as the wielder does not also move in the same round, the range on their weapon is doubled.
Piercing
Piercing weapons are designed to penetrate or burn through armor. They may be as simple as high-density bullets, or as elaborate as swords with superheated tungsten blades that melt through armor. Regardless of how they are constructed, they ignore a foe's armor bonus when attacking.
Shocking
These weapons surge with electricity, disrupting a foes internal energy on every blow. Foes struck when an electrical weapon suffer Breath damage equal to the severity of the wound (one point on a light wound, two on a moderate wound, three on a serious wound).
Burning
Incendiary weapons ignite in spectacular bursts of flame. Swords have hidden reserves of fuel in their pommels, bullets ignite in contact with the air, and grenades explode in balls of fire instead of shrapnel. Incendiary weapons light their foes on fire, dealing an extra wound each round until extinguished.
Section Five: Chemicals
“Chemicals” here is a catch-all for exotic substances that come out of an Alchemist's lab but don't explode, or at least don't explode as their principle function. While many of them can be used as weapons, they are defined by having specific non-combat functions.
Access to a chemical costs 1 point of Resources.
|
Item |
Function |
Creation |
|
Thermite |
Burning through metal |
Alchemistry (Rating) |
|
Acid |
Melting substances |
Alchemistry (Rating) |
|
Adhesives |
Sticking things together |
Alchemistry (Rating) |
|
Super coolant |
Freezing |
Alchemistry (Rating) |
|
Extinguisher |
Putting out fires |
Alchemistry 2 |
|
Invisible Ink |
Secret Messages |
Alchemistry 3 |
Invisible Ink: This ink turns invisible when drying, and reappears when applied to an open flame. It has no rating, and costs one point of Resources.
Thermite: This powder burns at an extremely high temperature when lit, melting through steel. They add their Rating to sabotage equipment or pass through locks, and allows the user to use Alchemistry in place or Engineering or Sleight of Hand.
Corrosives: There are various acids that can corrode wood, metal, and flesh. The real utility of Corrosives are their versatility – acids can be made to dissolve one substance while ignoring another. When creating a corrosive, decide on what substances it will and won't effect: wood, metal, flesh, and so on. When destroying a piece of said substance, roll Alchemistry versus Craftsmanship of the item's creator. Acid has a Burning effect on whatever subject is applied to, dealing a light wound each round until neutralized.
Adhesives: Adhesives include glues and epoxies that bind objects together. Various adhesives can be used to bind foes, sticking their feet to the ground or limbs together. Characters who become stuck in such a fashion must roll Athletics vs Alchemistry to break free.
Super Coolant: Through advanced alchemical secrets, gases like hydrogen and nitrogren can be cooled into liquids, create a substance that freezes everything it touches. Super coolant's can be used to flash-freeze surfaces of water into ice; when doing so, they cover 1 square foot per success of an Alchemistry roll. Extinguisher: These are chemical foams that eat away at fires, neutralizing them. Anyone on fire who is affected by an extinguisher is immediately doused.
Section Six: Drugs and Poisons
Poisons attack the internal functions of the body, causing myriad ailments and debilitating effects. When creating a poison, there are two main variables to consider: Delivery and Effect.
Delivery Type: The way in which the poison is applied. Poisons are can be delivered by four methods, details below.
Ingested: The poison is mixed into food or drink. Typically, it takes a few minutes (or about one combat round) for the poison to take effect. A Sleight of Hand check can be used to surreptitiously add poison into a person's food or drink.
Contact: The poison is absorbed through the skin. Contact poisons take effect at the end of the target's next action. Contact poisons are often smeared on items as parts of traps, and certain Internal Alchemy abilities allow qi gong masters to secrete them.
Inhaled: The poison are mixed into a gas or smoke and inhaled. The effects of poison gas take effect immediately, and are usually administered through a poison gas grenade delivered via an Explosives check. Injected: The poison is delivered to the blood, either through a syringe or being coated on the edge of a weapon. Poisons that are coated onto a normal weapon (such as a sword or a bullet) take effect at the end of the target's next round.
Injected poisons being delivered through a syringe take effect immediately. Poison needles can be stabbed into a foe via a Hand to Hand check, and certain ranged and melee weapons can be modified to inject poison in lieu of their normal damage bonus.
Effect: Poisons are categorized by the type of effect they have on the body – blindness, continuous damage, and so on.
Duration: Typically, a poison will last for one scene before running its course, or until treated.
Treating Poison: There is a saying Chinese: “treat poison with poison.” When an individual has been poisoned, the effect can be cleared up with a Medicine check greater than the Creation difficulty of the Medicine. Thus, to cure a Blinding poison, a doctor would need at least four successes on a Medicine check.
Unless otherwise noted, poisons will run their course and cease at the end of a scene.
Cost: Access to a poison costs 1 point of Resources. Rather than keeping track of individual dosages of poison, this is considered to be a steady supply or sufficiently large cache of poison for the user's needs.
Common Poisons
|
Poison Type |
In Game Effect |
Creation |
|
Burning |
Continuous Damage |
Medicine 2 |
| Paralysis | Limb loss | Medicine 2 |
|
Nausea |
Seals Fortune |
Medicine 2 |
|
Numbness |
Seals Breath |
Medicine 3 |
|
Blindness |
Lose Sight |
Medicine 3 |
|
Deafness |
Lose Hearing |
Medicine 3 |
|
Sedative |
Breath Loss/Sleep |
Medicine 2 |
|
Stimulant |
Induces strong emotion |
Medicine 2 |
|
Hallucinogenic |
Narrator controls character |
Medicine 3 |
|
Hypnotic |
Opponent controls character |
Medicine 4 |
Burning: An acidic poison courses through your veins, burning you from the inside. Each round left untreated, the target takes a light wound of damage.
Paralyzation: You begin to lose control of your arms and legs. A target struck with a paralytic poison loses control one limb, as per the Injured Arm/Injured Leg condition.
Nausea: You begin to experience nausea and vertigo. Even basic actions are hard to perform. The target is incapable of performing Stunts or linking Skills.
Numbness: Your limbs begin to tingle and lose sensation, as your internal energy meridians become blocked. The target cannot expend Breath, either to activate abilities or recover from injuries.
Blindness: Your vision grows dim, and the world fades away. Attacks cannot be aimed, vehicles cannot be steered. Those trained in Awareness may be able to use their others senses to compensate; the exact in game effects of being blinded are up the Narrator.
Deafness: Your ears begin to ring, until all you can hear is the ringing. Communication becomes difficult, and someone who has bee both blinded and deafened is extremely impeded in what they can do. Those trained in Awareness may be able to use their others senses to compensate; the exact in game effects of being deafened are up the Narrator.
Sedative: Your eyes grow heavy, and strength leaves your body. When applied on a calm target - such as when slipped into food or wine - the target will fall asleep within a few minutes. When applied during combat, adrenaline will keep the target awake, but the poison saps their strength; they lose a point of Breath each round, and should their Breath fall to zero, they fall unconcious.
Stimulant: You are overcome with a particular emotion – anger, fear, bliss, arousal, and so on. These drugs are often used for recreation, but may also be used to manipulate another's behavior.
Hallucinogenic: The world becomes surreal, and you see things which are not there. Depending on the emotional state of the target, this may lead to running from or attacking imagined monsters, or sitting happily in a state of wonder. As such, Hallucinogens are frequently combined with Emotional Stimulants to achieve a specific effect.
Hypnotic: These rare and potent drugs cover the brain in a potent haze, making their victim's mind loose and suggestible. While under the influence of a hypnotic, there is no level of bullshit to incredulous to believed; a successful Deception check can convince them of nearly anything. This makes them easy to manipulate or get the truth out of. They take no physical action while hypnotized, though sudden and abrupt violence may break them out of their state.
Performance Enhancing Drugs
Certain pharmaceuticals enhance, rather than degrade, a person's abilities. However, these drugs also have strong side effects negative effects.
When creating a performance enhancing drug, choose two attributes: it's Benefit and it's Drawback. Both of these will be chosen from a character's core attributes (Valor, Cunning, Grace, etc.). While under the effects of the drug, the Benefit attribute is increased by one point and the Drawback attribute is decreased by one point, for the duration of one scene. In the next scene, when the drug wears off, both attributes are decreased by one point.
If the user takes the drug while in the withdrawal period, the penalties to the enhanced statistic are negated, but the penalties to the degraded statistic are cumulative. If he brings any statistics below zero, he risks overdosing, and must flip a coin. On a heads, he's fine; on a tails, he suffers a Poison effect determined by the narrator.
Example: Before going into combat, a Raging Centipede injects himself with a stimulant that increases his Vigor from 2 to 3 and decreases his Wisdom from 1 to 0 – after all, he doesn't need to be able to think to fight.
After the fight, both his Vigor and his Wisdom are decreased, to 1 and 0 respectively. While under the effects of the drug, he is ambushed by enemies, and injects himself again. His Vigor goes back up to 3, but his Wisdom is now -1. He flips a coin, and it comes up tails; given that it was his Wisdom he lost, the narrator decides on hallucination as the side effect. Now unable to determine what is and isn't real, his enemies close in for the kill.
Performance enhancing drugs cost one point of Resource.
Section Seven: Armor
In age dominated by firearms, chemical weapons, and covert assassinations, armor is not terribly common in the Two Kingdoms. That said, armor has evolved along with weaponry, and most forms are composites of high strength steel alloys and chemically treated antiballistic silk. Such armor is heavy and restrictive of mobility, but offers protection against blades and bullets. The most common type of armor is brigandine, wherein metal plates are sandwiched between layers of cloth. Brigandine vests and coats offer protection while staying covert and low-profile. Others may choose showier forms of armor, with interlaced steel plates gleaming on top of silk backings, but the basic construction and materials remains the same.
Armor is a mixed bag; on the one hand, it protects the wearer, reducing damage. On the other hand, it reduced mobility, making the wearer slower and an easier target to to hit.
Rating: This is the amount damage the armor prevents. For every point, subtract one success from every damage roll made against the wearer. Weapons that are energy-based (such as flamethrowers and lightning bolts) or biological in nature (such as poisons) bypass this defense.
Movement Penalty: Armor has a drawback – it makes it harder to move. The rating of the armor is substracted from successes on Stealth, Sleight of Hand, Acrobatics, and Athletics rolls. Cost: Armor is expensive. A set of light armor costs 1 point of Resource, and increases from there.
|
Armor Type |
Rating |
Cost |
Creation |
|
Light |
1 |
1 |
Craftsmanship 2 |
|
Medium |
2 |
1.5 |
Craftsmanship 3 |
|
Heavy |
3 |
2 |
Craftsmanship 4 |
|
Full |
4 |
2.5 |
Craftsmanship 4 |
|
Armor Augmentations |
Effect |
Cost |
|
|
Rapid Deploy |
Quick removal |
1 |
Craftsmanship 2 |
|
Offensive |
Damages attackers |
1 |
Engineering 3 |
|
Gasmask |
Poison Gas Immunity |
1 |
Engineering 3 |
|
Fireproof |
Fire Immunity |
1 |
Alchemistry 3 |
|
Grounded |
Shock Immunity |
1 |
Engineering 4 |
| Mechanical | Piloting to Run and Lift | 1 | Engineering 4 |
|
Jump Jets |
Piloting to Jump |
1 |
Engineering 4 |
|
Dive System |
Piloting to Swim |
1 |
Engineering 4 |
| Mobile Armor | High speed movement | 1 | Engineering 4 |
Armor types:
Most of those in the jianghu eschew armor, considering it unnecessarily cumbersome and expensive, slowing them down more than it protects. That said, the minority of underworld fighters who do wear body armor tend to be very, very into it, usually wearing home-made suits of customized battle gear with all sorts of little augmentations and upgrades.
Light Armor: Light armor usually consists of a brigandine vest, along with sturdy boots, bracers, and goggles. Light armor can be worn without drawing much attention to oneself.
Medium Armor: Medium armor typically involves a full coat of brigandine that protects the body and limbs, along with some kind of head and eye protection.
Heavy Armor: Heavy armor involves military-style full suits of layered silk and steel plates, covering most of the wearer's body.
Mechanical Armor: Mechanical armor converts the wearer into a miniature tank, covering every inch of the wearer in thick steel plates. It's powered by a miniature steam engine that sits on the back of the armor, and powers it's movement through a pneumatic exoskeleton. While wearing mechanical armor, the wearer may make Piloting checks in place of Athletics checks to lift, carry, and run, without the normal movement penalty for wearing armor.
Armor Upgrades
Augmentations are extra effects that increase an armor sets protective value or utility. Augmentations can be added to unarmored clothing; a person can wear a gasmask and a fireproof uniform without any armor plating.
Rapid Deploy: The armor is designed for quick donning and removal; it only takes one action to remove or put on.
Fireproof: This armor contains a full body suit of fire-resistant materials; the the wearer is immune to continuous damage from being lit on fire, and takes no damage from purely fire-based attacks such as flamethrowers and incendiary grenades.
Grounded: This armor contains a series of grounding wires laced through it, creating a Faraday cage for the wearer. The wearer is immune to Breath damage from being electrocuted, and takes no damage from purely electrical attacks such as Arc Projectors and being struck by lightning.
Gasmask: A mask fitted over the face that filters out toxins or connects to an alternate air supply. It renders the wearer Immune to poison gases, including Blinding and Burning Smoke.
Offensive: This armor is covered with exposed electrical currents, superheated plates, blades, whirling blades, or some combination thereof. Anyone who makes physical contact with the wearer (such as by grappling them or striking them unarmed) suffers a light wound. Appropriate armor or defenses (such as wearing one's own suit of armor) may nullify this effect in some cases, as per the narrator's discretion.
Mechanical Armor: Mechanical power armor adds a miniature steam engine and a system of pneumatic pistons that augment the wearers strength. When wearing such armor, penalties to Athletics are ignored, and the Piloting skill can be used in it's place to run and lift. Power armor is a prerequisite for certain other armor upgrades, listed below.
Mechanical armor may offer bonuses to certain movement skills, as well; for rules on such, see "Tools" below.
Mobile Armor: Your power armor has a built in set of motorskates, connected to the main drive train of it's steam engine. You are able to move at vehicular speeds, allowing you to participate in chase scenes even without a vehicle.
Jump Jets: To compensate for it's own weight, your armor has a set of pneumatic pistons in it's feet and high-pressure steam jets on it's engine. They allow the wearer to make piloting checks in place of Acrobatics, with no movement penalty for armor.
Dive System: Your armor has been adapted to function underwater, complete with underwater turbines and compressed air for the operator, turning into a tiny submarine. You may move and operate underwater, and may make piloting checks in place of Athletics for swimming with no movement penalty.
Section Eight: Vehicles
The vehicles listed here are all personal vehicles, suited for a single pilot and perhaps a handful of passengers. Large scale vehicles – trains, ships, airships – are best considered as set pieces, rather than as equipment.
Vehicles, much like weapons, have two key attributes: Speed and Handling. Both are added to piloting checks, under different circumstances. Armor refers to the durability of the vehicle, and is subtracted from damage to the vehicle or (if it's enclosed) to the pilot. Size refers to both how large a vehicle is and to how many passengers it can carry. Type refers to the terrain the vehicle operates on.
When creating a custom vehicle, one has four points to spend between Speed, Handling, and Armor. The size and Type of the vehicle determine it's cost.
Handling: How stable and maneuverable the vehicle is. Add handling checks to land jumps, make u-turns, prevent crashes, and other tricky maneuvers. Vehicles have a maximum handling of 4.
Speed: Speed represents how fast your vehicle is. Speed is rolled for attempting to catch up to a target in front of you, create distance with a foe behind you, dodge attacks, and any other circumstances where raw speed and acceleration are most important. Vehicles have a maximum speed of 4.
Armor: How much protection an enclosed vehicle offers. Like with regular armor, every point reduces the number of successes scored on a damage roll to the vehicle or occupant by one. Personal vehicles cannot have armor ratings. The armor rating of a vehicle does not stack with any personal armor the Pilot is wearing; when attacking the Pilot of a vehicle, take the higher of the two.
Size: How large the vehicle is, and how many people it can carry. A vehicle being larger makes it easier to hit but more difficult to damage. A vehicle's size is subtracted from successes to dodge attacks by the Pilot, but also subtracted from damage dealt against it directly.
Personal vehicles include autocycles, jet skis, and glider packs. They can usually just hold the pilot comfortably.
Small vehicles include cars, a motor boats, and biplanes. They can usually hold three or four passengers.
Large vehicle include airships, yachts, and train-cars. They can typically hold about a dozen passengers. Massive vehicles include cargo ships and trains. They can hold dozens to hundreds of passengers.
Type: Whether the vehicle moves on ground, on water, or in the air. Land: Cars, bikes, and otherwise land vehicles.
Sea: Boats and jet skis and the like.
Air: Flying vehicles, such as ornithopters, biplanes, and jet packs. Underwater: Submarines and other vehicles that can operate below the surface of water, though they need to resurface periodically to replenish their air supply. Personal submarines need to take on fresh air hourly; small, every six hours; large, every day; and massive, every few days.
Multiple Types: For every additional type of movement, add one extra point of Resources. Making a an amphibious vehicle that can go on land and water would cost one extra point; making a flying submarine would cost three extra points.
Adding weapons to vehicles: You may wish to add rocket launchers and chain guns to your vehicle; this is encouraged. A weapon that has been mounted directly onto a vehicle benefits from increased stability, and uses the vehicle's Size rating (ranging from 0 for personal to 3 for Massive) in lieu of the weapon's normal offense. As such, high-power and low accuracy weapons are usually preferred.
Cost: The cost of a vehicle is equal to it's size, plus any modifiers for Type. Thus, an airship (a size 3 flying vehicle) costs 4 points of Resources.
Examples of Common Vehicles
|
Vehicle |
Handling |
Speed |
Armor |
Size |
Type |
Cost |
|
Land Vehicles |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Horse |
4 |
0 |
0 |
Personal |
Land |
1 |
|
Autocycle |
2 |
2 |
0 |
Personal |
Land |
1 |
|
Rocket Bike |
0 |
4 |
0 |
Personal |
Land |
1 |
|
Luxury Sedan |
1 |
2 |
1 |
Small |
Land |
2 |
|
Cargo Truck |
1 |
1 |
2 |
Small |
Land |
2 |
|
Steam Tank |
0 |
0 |
4 |
Small |
Land |
2 |
|
Train |
0 |
0 |
4 |
Massive |
Land |
4 |
|
Watercraft |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Water Ski |
1 |
3 |
0 |
Personal |
Sea |
2 |
|
Motorboat |
1 |
2 |
1 |
Small |
Sea |
2 |
|
Yacht |
0 |
2 |
2 |
Large |
Sea |
3 |
|
Battleship |
0 |
0 |
4 |
Massive |
Sea |
4 |
|
Mini-sub |
1 |
1 |
2 |
Personal |
Underwater |
2 |
|
Submarine |
0 |
0 |
4 |
Large |
Underwater |
4 |
|
Aircraft |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jet Glider |
2 |
2 |
0 |
Personal |
Air |
2 |
|
Ornithopter |
4 |
0 |
0 |
Small |
Air |
3 |
|
Biplane |
2 |
2 |
0 |
Small |
Air |
3 |
|
Rocket plane |
0 |
4 |
0 |
Small |
Air |
3 |
|
Airship |
1 |
1 |
2 |
Large |
Air |
4 |
Horse: The oldest and most popular vehicle, horses are the only entry on this list that aren't machines. That comes with it's own elaborate set of drawbacks and perks. Horses can be ridden using the Survival skill in lieu of Piloting.
Autocycles: Essentially a steam-powered motorcycle, the autocycle is by far and a way the preferred means of personal transport in China. Autocycles are used by everyone from gangsters to couriers to commuters. Many variants are available, but the version presented here is the most common one.
Rocket Bike: Fancied by couriers and gangsters, these bikes have literal actual rockets strapped to the back of them, given them incredible incredible and dangerous levels of acceleration. Often the cause of deadly, spectacular traffic accidents.
Luxury Sedan: Sedan's are a go-to luxury vehicle for the rich and powerful – an enclosed cab in a steam-powered car, typically with it's own driver.
Cargo Truck: Throughout the cities of China, three-wheeled cargo trucks can be seen delivering all manner of supplies. Nicknamed “bread trucks” for their narrow, tall profiles, trucks tend to be both slow and top-heavy.
Tanks: Heavily armored vehicles, often with treads instead of wheels. Though slow and hard to pilot, they are very, very sturdy. They are frequently adorned with weapons.
Trains: Chances are good, you don't actually own a train, but the chance of riding one is high.
Rocket Glider: A glider is set of silken wings collapsed into a backpack or sewn into the the wearers clothing. They are sometimes combined with a set of back-mounted rockets to provide lift, allowing the wearer to fly freely though the air.
Biplanes: Biplanes are high-speed fixed wing aircraft, powered by a miniature steam engine. They typically only have room for one passenger, unless someone is willing to sit on the wings.
Rocket Plane: Take the basic structure of a biplane, now add rockets until it's moving so fast it's liable to shake apart. You now have a rocket plane.
Ornithopter: An an ornipthoper is a personal aircraft that moves via flapping a set of bird-like wings. They are substantially slower than aeroplanes, but also more maneuverable.
Airship: Airships cover a huge variety of vehicles, but this entry gives you a fairly common version used for travel and commerce. Airships typically have a helium balloon to keep them aloft indefinitely.
Water Ski: The autocycles of the sea, water skis use a small engine to propel a single rider along the water's surface.
Motorboat: Motor boats, conversely, are intended to carry a number of passengers.
Battleship: Battleships are massive, military vessels, loaded with armor and guns.
Submarine: Submarines are large but notoriously cramped vessels that operate below the surface of the water.
Mini-sub: A miniature, one-man submarine. Typically used for sabotaging larger vessels.
Section Nine: Tools
Overview:
Tools are a wide-encompassing category for any piece of equipment that exists to aid in a non-combat skill check. Thus, a lockpick is a tool, but so is a smoke bomb or a set of fancy clothing.
Effects of Tools:
Tools provide bonuses of +1 to +4 successes to a specific application of a specific skill; a smoke bomb grants a bonus to Stealth checks while disappearing from view, and binoculars grant a bonus to Awareness checks for surveying far-distant areas.
A tool can have bonuses to multiple skills – a master burglar might have a set of very fine shoes that add +1 to his Stealth for moving silently, +1 to Acrobatics for climbing, and +1 to his Athletics for running.
Tools can have Upsides and Downsides. These are admittedly fairly nebulous qualities, and may require some negotiation between the player and the Narrator. An Upside gives a non-numerical bonus – for example, Thermite allowing the user to sabotage equipment with the Alchemistry skill. A downside gives a non-numerical penalty – such an electric torch making it difficult to hide at night. Upsides increase the cost of a tool by half a point; downsides decrease by half a point.
Concealment of Tools: By default, tools are concealable, unless otherwise noted.
Cost of Tools:
Tools cost half a point of Resource per bonus success granted. An Upside increases the tool's cost by half a point of Resource, and a Downside decreases it by half a point.
Creating Tools:
Most tools can be created via Creation skills (Craftsmanship, Engineering, Alchemistry, Medicine). The difficulty of creating a tool is equal to total bonuses provided by it; thus, to make a lockpick set that grants a +2 bonus, the creator must have Rank 2 Craftsmanship. Creating, rather than purchasing a tool reduces it's cost by half, just as with other equipment.
Tools and Combat Skills:
Combat skills have their own very elaborate set of tools: weapons, which you have been reading about for the past twenty pages. As such, the above tool rules do not apply to Combat skills. Hand to Hand is governed by Boxing Styles; Melee, Sharpshooting, and Explosives by their respective Weaponry; Fortitude by Armor; and lastly, Reflex is affected by Cover conditions in lieu of tools.
Similarly, the Piloting skill has it's own set of tools – vehicles.
Some weapons may incorporate a tool function intentionally – ie, a grappling hook gun used for both combat and infiltration. In such cases, the weapon cost and the tool cost are paid separately.
Tools and Mystical Skills: Mystical skills cannot be affected by tools. While a shaman might carry a magic bell to summon the dead or a magic sword to conjure storms, the magic ultimately resides within them.
Gadgets
“Gadgets” is a catch-all for tools that fill some sort of novel function, and usually involve some sort of experimental technology. Some gadgets follow the tool function of enhancing an application of a certain skill (such as lockpicks); others have purely utilitarian functions (such as cameras).
Creating gadgets follows the general tool category above – select an application of a skill, pay half a point of resource per extra success that it grants.
Gadgets are where new technologies (ie, inventing radio communications) are most likely to be introduced, and this should be negotiated between the player and narrator.
Common Gadgets
|
Item |
Function |
Associated Skill |
Creation |
|
Lockpick Set |
Open locks |
Sleight of Hand |
Engineering (Rating) |
|
Manacles |
Bind Others |
Sleight of Hand |
Engineering (Rating) |
|
Grappling hook |
Latch onto targets |
Acrobatics |
Engineering (Rating) |
|
Smoke Bombs |
Obscuring smoke |
Stealth |
Alchemistry (Rating) |
|
Rebreather |
Breathe underwater |
Athletics |
Engineering 3 |
|
Electric Torch |
See in the dark |
Awareness |
Engineering (Rating) |
|
Telescopic Lenses |
Extend visual range |
Awareness |
Engineering (Rating) |
|
Magnification Lenses |
Study close objects |
Awareness |
Engineering (Rating) |
|
Camera |
Takes Photographs |
-- |
Engineering 3 |
|
Micro Camera |
Record images |
-- |
Engineering 4 |
|
Audio Recorder |
Record sounds |
-- |
Engineering 3 |
|
Micro Recorder |
Records Sounds |
-- |
Engineering 4 |
Lockpicks: Ranging from simple bits of wire to mechanical “lockpick guns” that shred the inside of a lock, these tools add their Rating to Sleight of Hand checks to open locks.
Manacles: Manacles, handcuffs, and other restraining devices. They add their rating to Sleight of Hand checks to bind another person.
Grappling Hook: A classic. Add rating to Acrobatics when climbing. Smoke Bombs: Smoke Bombs are a staple of thieves, spies, and assassins. When deployed, they fill a room with thick but harmless smoke, reducing visibility. They add their Rating to any Stealth checks to disappear from sight or stay hidden.
Telescopic Lenses: Often built into custom goggles, gun sights, or small hand tools, these lenses make distant areas appear nearby. They add their Rating to Awareness rolls when investigating a far-distant area.
Magnifying Lenses: Also often built into goggles and gadgets, these lenses add their Rating to Awareness rolls when investigating immediate surroundings.
Electric Torch: Electric lights can be handheld, strapped to weapons, or worn on the head to illuminate wherever the user looks. In any case, they add their effectiveness to Awareness checks to see things in the dark. On the downside, they tend to give away a person's position when sneaking about at night. On the upside, they can be used to blind foes who's eyes have adjusted to the dark for a round; add their rating to a Sharpshooting roll for blinding foes in such a fashion.
Rebreather: These masks store oxygen in pressurized tanks and convert CO2 back into breathable air, greatly extending the period a person can hold their breath. They allow the wearer to hold their breath for an additional hour when swimming or exposed to poison gases. They cost one point of Resources.
Camera: A basic camera is a large, bulky object that takes sepia-tone photographs and costs one point of Resources. For two points of Resources, one can acquire a spy camera that small enough to conceal on their person.
Sound Recorders: There are various machines that can transcribe sound onto tapes or waxen discs to be played back later; as with cameras, most of them are quite bulky and cost one point of resources. Concealable micro-recorders are available for two points of resources.
Clothing
The right clothing can make quite an impression; rich clothing makes for a strong first impression, and soft shoes can silence footfalls. Clothing is generally broken into apparel and footwear; the right boots can heavily effect movement skills, and the right clothes can change the way a person is perceived. As with other tools, Clothing has a rating of +1 to +4, costs half a point of Resources per bonus success granted, and applies to to a particular application of a certain skill.
Common Specialty Clothing
|
Item |
Function |
Associated Skill |
Creation Difficulty |
|
Hunting Boots |
Moving silently |
Stealth |
Craftsmanship (rating) |
|
Running Boots |
Running |
Athletics |
Craftsmanship (rating) |
|
Jumping Boots |
Jumping |
Acrobatics |
Craftsmanship (rating) |
|
Wetsuit |
Swimming |
Athletics |
Craftsmanship (rating) |
|
Camouflage |
Hiding |
Stealth |
Craftsmanship (rating) |
|
Rich Clothing |
Seeming Important |
Persuasion |
Craftsmanship (rating) |
|
Fine Clothing |
Seduction |
Persuasion |
Craftsmanship (rating) |
|
False Uniforms |
Blending In |
Deception |
Craftsmanship (rating) |
|
Weapons and Armor |
Threatening Violence |
Bravado |
By type |
Hunting Boots: These shoes have soft soles that make no sound when moving. They add their bonus to Stealth checks for moving unheard.
Jumping Boots: Ranging from boots with cushioned soles to elaborate spring-powered contraptions, jumping boots add to the wearer's acrobatics for jumping checks and for calculated their jumping distance.
Running Boots: Ranging from comfortable running shoes to high-tech gizmos with springs and wheels, these shoes enhance the user's Athletics by their rating for foot chases and for calculating movement speed.
Camouflage: This clothing is designed for moving through shadows and blending in with environments. Add rating to Stealth checks for remaining unseen. Camouflage patterns need to matched to their environment to hold effect; forests, cities, deserts, and so on.
Wetsuit: Wetsuits are designed to keep the body warm in water and make it more streamlined while swimming. They add their bonus to Athletics checks for swimming.
Rich Clothing: Rich dyes, jewelry, and expensive silk brocades mark a person as part of high society. The user can add their bonus to Persuasion checks when trying to seem important.
Fine Clothing: Combining immaculately tailored clothing with fine cosmetics, the right outfit can enhance one's natural beauty. The user can add their bonus to Persuasion checks when trying to charm or seduce.
False Uniforms: From the military to street gangs, the right clothing helps one blend in. The user adds the uniform's rating to Deception checks when impersonating a member of an organization.
Weapons and Armor: Being heavily armed makes it much easier to fright others. Take either the highest damage bonus of any of your visible weapons or the rating of your armor as a bonus to Bravado checks when intimidating someone with physical force.
Crafting Tools
Technological skills are the ones that most call to mind the images of tools – wrenches, hammers, saws, and so on. For tools that are used for the construction of other items, portability is based on the rating of the tool, as follows:
1. Multitool: Tools that offer a +1 bonus consist of pocket multitools and the like. They are portable and concealable.
2. Tool Kit: Tools that offer a +2 bonus usually represents a toolbelt or bag's worth. Portable, but not concealable.
3. Tool Cart: Tool's that offer a +3 bonus represents a portable workshop that can be carried in a vehicle or dragged by a horse.
4. Workshop: Tools that offer a +4 bonus represents a fully stocked workshop that is not at all portable, except by train or airship.
If a character has access to higher level of tools, they also have access to a lower level; ie, an engineer with a fully stocked +4 workshop can also take a +2 toolkit with them to sabotage a train.
Note that tools are not necessary for making item creation checks; it's assumed that in such cases, the inventor has a basic workshop necessary for their work, but nothing fancy enough to add a bonus.
Tools for item creating can themselves be crafted with other skills. Craftsmanship is required to set up an engineering workshop; engineering to set up an alchemists lab, and so on.
|
Tool set: |
Associated Skill |
Creation |
|
Metalworking |
Craftsmanship |
Engineering (Rating) |
|
Carpentry |
Craftsmanship |
Engineering (Rating) |
|
Textiles |
Craftsmanship |
Engineering (Rating) |
|
Engineering |
Engineering |
Craftsmanship (Rating) |
|
Gunsmith |
Engineering |
Craftsmanship (Rating) |
|
Bombmaking |
Alchemistry |
Engineering (Rating) |
|
Chemistry |
Alchemistry |
Engineering (Rating) |
|
Pharmaceutical |
Medicine |
Alchemistry (Rating) |
|
Poisonmaking |
Medicine |
Alchemistry (Rating) |
|
Surgical |
Medicine |
Craftsmanship (Rating) |
Metalworking tools: From hammers and tongs to a a home foundry, these tools add +1 to +4 bonus for making metal weapons, armor, and tools.
Carpentry tools: From saws and nails to your own sawmill, these add a +1 to +4 bonus for Craftsmanship checks when dealing wooden weapons, items, or buildings.
Textile tools: From a needle and thread to sewing machines and looms. These add +1 to +4 for constructing clothing, footwear, armor, and other apparel.
Automotive Tools: An automotive workshop is filled with all kinds of metalworking tools, as well as mysterious parts and connectors for assembling working engines. They add their Rating when constructing vehicles.
Gunsmith's tools: A gunsmith's workshop is used for making all kinds of high tech weapons, from machine guns to rocket launchers. They add their Rating when constructing ranged weapons.
Electrical Tools: Wires and batteries and all manner of arcane substances are found in an elctrician's workshop. They add their bonus to constructing any sort of electrical device.
Chemist's Tools: The various machinery needed for purifying adhesives, acids, and other chemical substances. They add their Rating when constructing specialty chemicals.
Bombmaking tools: The exotic machinery needed to make explosive and incendiary weaponry. They add their Rating when constructing bombs and incendiaries.
Poisoning Tools: This represents the rare and dangerous materials needed for making poison's in one's own home. They add their Rating when making poisons.
Pharmaceutical Tools: The materials for making performance-enhancing and recreational drugs. They add their Rating when making drugs.
Surgical Tools: The scalpels, bandages, and splits used for healing injuries and conducting first aid. They add their Rating when using Medicine to treat injuries.
Sidebar: Liminal Case Sometimes, an object will be on the cusp between one skill or specialty and another; a modern suit of armor incorporates both metal and textiles, for example. In these cases, either skill or toolset qualifies one to create the item.
Miscellaneous Tools
Some items fulfill the general tool function without fitting into any of the above categories. Most of these are the type of items that cannot be created, only purchased.
|
Item |
Function |
Skill |
Creation |
|
Musical Instruments |
Performance |
Persuasion |
Craftsmanship (Rating) |
|
Disguise Kit |
Change facial features |
Deception |
-- |
|
Library |
Research topics |
Scholarship |
-- |
|
Official Documents |
Grant legal status |
Law |
-- |
|
Cash |
Bribery |
Persuasion |
-- |
Musical Instruments: Popular instruments in China include the pipa (a type of flute), the erhu (a stand-up fiddle), and the qin (a zither). The rating of musical instruments can be added to Persuasion check when trying to perform or win over a crowd.
Disguise Kit: A collection of wigs, makeup, and facial prosthetics add their rating to Deception checks to impersonate a specific individual's appearance.
Library: Libraries are arranged by topics – history, geography, linguistics, and so on. They add their rating to Scholarship related to their topic.
Official Documents: Seals, contracts, citations, forged or otherwise. Legal documents grant you a bonus to Law checks when throwing your weight around, and specific ones may open certain doors.
Cash: One of the most straightforward tools are cash bribes. The rating of cash as a tool is represents how much silver the user has on them at any given time – its rating can be added to Persuasion checks when trying to bribe someone into going against their morals.